Device for treating patients by electricity



(No Model.)

E. M. THOMAS. DEVICE FOR TREATING PATIENTS BY ELECTRICITY.

No. 485,238. Patnted Nov. 1, 1 892.

WASNWGTON a c said air.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

EDMUND M. THOMAS, OF IZITTLE ROCK, ARKANSAS.

DEVICE FOR TREATING PATIENTS BY ELECTRICITY.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 485,238, dated November 1, 1892.

Application filed January 11, l 892. Serial No. 417,710- (No model.)

T0 on whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, EDMUND M. THOMAS, of the city of Little Rock, in the county of Pulaski and State of Arkansas, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Devices for Treating Patients by Electricity, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part hereof.

My invention relates to improvements in devices for treating patients by electricity;

and it consists in the novel arrangement and combination of parts, as will be more fully hereinafter described, and designated in the claims.

In the drawings, Figure l is a vertical longitudinal section of my complete invention, showing a patient located in the same under treatment; and Fig. 2 is a front elevation of the same.

My improved apparatus for the treatment of patients consists in the employment of an air-tight receptacle within which the patient is placed, allowing the face of said patient to be in communication with the open air, and providing means for partially withdrawing the air contained in said receptacle after the patient has been properly placed in the same, thereby causing the body to expand, filling up the partial vacuum caused by extracting the The patient under said treatment will perspire very freely and thereby open the pores of the skin, the air on passing from said receptacle cleansing the pores of the skin in order that the body may be in a better state to receive a galvanic current, which is also used in carrying out my invention.

Referring to the drawings, 1 represents the receptacle into which the patient is placed,

which receptacle is constructed to accommodate the said patient. The said receptacle is provided with a door 2, which is hinged to the said receptacle in any suitable mechanical manner, but preferably to the upper edge of the front 3 of said receptacle, whereby the patient may be admitted to the said receptacle.

While the patient is under treatment it is necessary that some means be provided in order that the said patient may breathe, or, in other words, the nostrils of said patient be in communication with the open air. Thus I space the face of the patient is adapted to be inserted.

6 represents a cone-shaped rubber pipe, which is placed over the face of the patient, which makes an air-tight connection between the head of the patient and the opening at of the receptacle. Said rubber pipe may besecured upon the head of the patient or said pipe may be attached to the receptacle 1 around the opening 4:, as may be found desirable.

7 represents the bottom or floor of the receptacle, which is provided with a post 8, having a screw-threaded bore, and 9 a revoluble seat having a screw-threaded shaft 10, which shaft is adapted to be screwed into the screwthreaded bore formed in the upright or post 8, whereby a seat is provided for the patient, and also said seat made adjustable to accommodate said patient.

11 represents a second post, which is somewhat shorter than the first-named post, but similarly constructed and provided with an internal-screw-threaded bore, and 12 represents a metallic foot-rest provided with a screw-threaded shaftl3, which shaftisscrewed into the screw-threaded bore' formed in the post 11 for adjusting said rest.

14 represents a flexiblehead-rest, which is secured to the back of the receptacle, to the interior surface of the same, and opposite the opening 4, against which the back of the head of the patient is adapted to rest.

The entire receptacle and its accompanying parts are mounted upon wheels 15 for moving said receptacle from place to place, when it is desired.

16 represents a doubleacting air-pump, which is of ordinary construction and provided with two cylinders 17, within which valved pistons 18 are adapted to work, and in communication with the said cylinders and secured to the bottoms of the same are two pipes 19, which converge and enter into one pipe 20, and said last-named pipe is in direct communication with the open space formed in the receptacle, premising, however, that said pipe 20 is mechanically secured to said receptacle inthe proper manner, as shown in the drawings.

21 represents a double-crank shaft, which is journaled in suitable bearings 22, and at tached to said crank-shaft and also to said valved pistons 18 are connecting-rods 23 for operating the said pistons in a reverse direction to one another when the hand-wheel 24 is turned for partially exhausting the air contained in the receptacle 1.

When the hand-wheel 24 is operated as above described, the air will pass off from the receptacle through pipe 20 to branch pipes 19 to the cylinder 16 through the valved pistons to the exit-pipes 25.

26 represents a pipe, which leads from a water-supply, and said pipeproj ectingthrough the top 27 of the receptacle, and said end of the pipe provided with a perforated chamber 28, by means of which water can be sprayed upon the patient under treatment. The water passing through the pipe 26 is regulated.

by means of a valve 29 inthe usual manner, whereby the proper amount of water may be passed into said receptacle and upon the patient.

In order to remove the water from the receptacle 1, I employ a valve 30, which is placed, in the bottom of the receptacle, by means of which said water can be drawn 01f from the receptacle at any time while the patient is under treatment. 7 7

To the back of the receptacle '1 is secured a bracket 31, and upon said bracket is placed a galvanic battery 32, which supplies electrical energy necessary in carrying out my invention. The wires leading from the poles of the battery are passed through suitable openings formed in the casing of the receptacle, and in order to make an air-tight connection between I said holes and the wires inserted into the same I employ rubber washers 33, which are secured to the said casing adjacent to the holes formed in the-same, and the holes formed in the said washers are of sufficient size only to permit said wires to tightly pass through the same.

34 represent electrodes, which aresecured in any mechanical and electrical manner to the ends of the wires leading .from the battery and projecting within the receptacle, premising, however, that said electrodes are placed in contact with the body of the patient to be treated. The electrodes may be of any suitable number and may be placed in any position upon the body, but, preferably, as shown in the drawings.

In order to supply electrical energy to the seat 9,1 provide the upper surface of said seat with a metallic plate 35, which is in electrical connection with one of the branch wires leading from the battery. One of the branch wires leading from the battery is also in electrical contact with the foot-rest 12, which has the usual function and need not necessarily be further described.

It will be readily understood that the current is generated by the battery and passed through the body of the patient by means of electrodes in the well-known manner.

The main object in view is supplying the body of the patient with a galvanic current while under the peculiar treatment, as before described.

By the construction as above described the patient in the condition mentioned is cleansed of all the impurities contained in the pores 01":

the skin and the'rigidity of the muscles overcome, healing the patient to a-perfect state of health.

By placing the patient under treatment, as above described-that is, expanding the body, and consequently opening the pores-the discase is extracted, and while the body of the patient is in that state'the organs that have been disabled through the action of the disease are easily healed and cured by the action of the galvanic current, which has immediate action upon the organs of the system. By this to the patient while under treatment, but merely helping nature to restore the health without any loss of the strength of said patient.

Having fully described my invention, what v W. H. RANKIN, JOHN Moons.

treatment there is no loss of energy or strength r 

